Faye Fetters, staff writer for A&GS as well as the brains and lenses behind Crystal Faye Photography ventured out on Saturday February 21 to catch THE MENZIGERS, LETLIVE, and TAKING BACK SUNDAY at South Side Ballroom in Dallas, TX. Check out her words and photos below:

THE MENZINGERS

Think of pop punk, but with better guitar tonality. Now add sad grown men writing sad, teenage lyrics. That’s basically what comprises the band THE MENZINGERS, except they’re really good. I’m not a fan of pop punk, I find it grating and whiny. But this band? They take the few good things about that genre and amplify it. Their stage presence is spot on, and they certainly got everyone in the crowd jamming and bopping along during the entire set. If you have the chance to catch them on this tour? Do it. If you’re in a mood to listen to sad boy jams? Certainly give their records a spin.

LETLIVE

The first time I saw LETLIVE I was certain that their vocalist Jason Aalon Butler was on drugs. After speaking with him at a different show, he confirmed that he was not on drugs, just excited. He takes every single ounce of energy and throws it all over the stage and the crowd. It’s like watching a human implode and explode at the same time. In this case? He ended up moving all the monitors, jumping off the stage, and running all over the place. The rest of the band? They seemed to feed off his energy, as well as the positive crowd response to their set. Jason even took time at the end of the show to thank security, something that you rarely see in this genre. If you’re in the mood for mildly poppy, chaotic music? Certainly give their record The Blackest Beautiful a jam.

TAKING BACK SUNDAY

TAKING BACK SUNDAY is an odd mix of southern and northern. Their vocalist, Adam Lazzara, has the moves and charm of a southern gentleman. He doesn’t just walk across the stage and sing. He performs, sashaying and crooning every line and lyric. The crowd ate it up, you could tell that this was the band that most people came to see. A spell had been cast, one part excellent showmanship, three parts crowd nostalgia, and two parts light show. This was my first time witnessing this band, and I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing them again.

All in all? This show was a pleasure to attend and cover. The lineup was solid, and the crowd response was absolutely fabulous.